Romanticism
by AngolMoaChan
Summary: It was a bit odd the Edward would go to this length to take her out to dinner. EdxWinry, Companion piece to ADVICE.


Romanticism

By: AngolMoaChan

Summary: It was a little odd that Ed would go to all this length just to take her to dinner. Companion piece to "Advice"

Winry had been sitting quite peacefully at her worktable, hands and eyes hard at work on a new piece of auto-mail when Edward came banging through the door. His face was flushed, although from what she couldn't tell, and his eyes were wide, "What the hell was that for! You messed me up!"

"S-s-s-sorry, Winry….I-I n-need to _um, _t-tell you something…" he stammered, his face growing redder by the second.

Ah. This is embarrassment we're dealing with here, "Deep breaths Ed. What is it?"

He looked at her and blushed even more, "N-never mind!"

Winry watched as he clomped up the stairs, racing into his room and slamming the door. Blinking twice and shaking her head she muttered, "That boy is so odd sometimes…"

About an hour later, he came downstairs, still a little pink in the cheeks, but considerably calmer, "Uh…Win?"

She looked up, startled by his sudden entrance, "…oh. Ed. What do you need?"

"Er…want to go to Rush Valley tomorrow?"

Winry gasped in surprise, "Ah! Yes!"

"Okay, good." He smiled and watched her spin around the room, squealing with glee.

"Yay! Thanks so much! You're so nice!" she bounced on her heels and grinned, "I'm gonna go tell Granny!"

With that, she danced out of the room, singing, "Rush Valley!" all the way down the hall. Edward sighed and leaned against the doorway, blushing even redder than before, "Well…the easy part's over…"

The next day, the two arrived by train into the Boomtown of the Broken Down, Rush Valley. Right away Winry had off to stare into the window of a shop, trying to decide what to buy. Edward was being awfully…nice today…It was a little odd. He bought her anything she wanted; like normal, only there was no fuss or arguing. It was almost like…like he was trying to be sweet and encompassing. Winry furrowed her brow as they walked, sneaking glances over at Edward, who seemed a bit lost in thought.

"Hey…Winry? Let's stop for dinner"

His comment snapped her out of her trance and she jumped, "O-okay. Sounds good."

Ed grinned and pointed to a restaurant down the street, "Good?"

"Yes!" she licked her lips in delight and grabbed his hand, "Come on! I'm starving!"

"H-hey! Wait!" he blushed, trying to squirm free of her grasp.

They were seated at a small intimate table in the back of the café. Winry opened up the menu and licked her lips, "This place looks really delicious, Ed!"

"Well…I've eaten here before…it's pretty good." Ed started to fidget uncomfortably, clicking his auto-mail fingers together with a soft tapping sound.

He only does that when he's nervous"Is something wrong, Edward?"

"Huh? N-no…I'm fine…"

"No you aren't. Do you have a fever or something?"

"N-no…look…can I tell you something?"

"Go ahead."

"I…er…well you see…say this guy has known this girl for a really long time."

"Uh…" Winry cocked her head questioningly and nodded, "Okay…"

"And say that this guy really really really likes this girl"

"Uh-huh"

"I mean…maybe this guy thinks he's in love with this girl."

"O-oh…" Winry got the sudden feeling they weren't talking about a friend of his. Did Ed have any friends like this anyway? She doubted he had any female friends, what with his lack of tact and patience of a bull. The only female friend Edward has is…_Oh. Oh my._

"So he really wants to tell her…but he's worried that she doesn't feel the same way..."

"Ed, are you trying to tell me you--"she couldn't even formulate the words.

"Wait, let me finish. You can hit me or whatever when I'm done." He blushed and unconsciously fidgeted with his glove, "And this girl is very beautiful…very kind…and he would hate to lose his friendship with her. He would hate to make things awkward for them. So…have any advice for this guy?"

Winry smiled, "This girl thinks that there won't be any awkwardness, because she feels the same way"

Ed's eyes widened in shock and he squeaked out, "Y-you mean…?"

"Yes." She grinned and put her hands around his, "I mean exactly that."

He blinked twice, still a little dazed, "…oh…I guess that's good then…"

"That's very good!" Winry giggled, "Aren't you forgetting the one thing that comes after you confess your love for somebody?"

Ed snapped out of his confounded state and nodded, "Oh! Right!"

She smiled even wider and leaned a little bit closer to him, so their noses weren't even an inch apart, "Good. So we're thinking of the same thing then?"

"I sure hope so." Ed grinned before kissing her very quickly, just enough to leave an impression.

"No, idiot, that's not how it's done." Winry frowned and grabbed his chin, "It's more like this…" and with that said, she let go and kissed him.

Needless to say, it left Edward leaning against the table for support at this _very _new sensation "…I see…"

"Great. You'll do better next time, then"

"N-next time?"

"Yes next time." She smiled before turning back to her menu, "Let's get something to eat now. I'm hungry."

They had been dating for many weeks now, and Winry could honestly say it was one of the happiest times of her life. She knew that she was in love with Edward. In fact, he was the one who she wanted to spend her life with. This wonderful epiphany hit her one night, around midnight as she stared up into his sleeping face. He looked so small, so peaceful, his breath barely blowing the small antennae-like piece of hair up out of his eyes. Snuggling her head into his chest, Winry decided that she would tell him tomorrow; maybe drop a small hint at marriage.

A couple of hours later, Winry was awoken by Edward's soft whispering into the phone by the bedside. She quickly silenced any of her own movement and tried to eavesdrop on what he was saying…and who exactly he was talking to at three-o'-clock in the morning.

"Huh! Oh…sorry Al…" Okay, so it was his brother. No worries. But why would Ed be talking to Alphonse at three A.M? Winry furrowed her brow and carefully moved up a little so she could hear better.

"…thanks Al. You're the best!" Ed hung up the phone with a soft click and buried his nose into the crown of her head, "Ahh, Winry, I can't wait until tomorrow.."

She stared at him in confusion, azure orbs searching his face for any emotion. But the boy was already fast asleep, leaning into her affectionately. Winry sighed and closed her eyes again, his last statement echoing through her head.

_I can't wait until tomorrow…_

Dawn began to spread pale rays of pink across a canvas of stars, and Winry blinked awake to find Ed hovering over her.

"Good morning, Winry!"

"Go away…" she muttered, burying her face into his pillow.

"Food, Win! Just for you! Breakfast in bed!"

Winry groaned loudly, "Go away Al…"

"Winry. It's Ed."

"Yeah right…like _he's _standing next to me with food…keep trying Al…"

"Win…we're dating…remember? You slept in my bed? Again?"

"Hmm…what a nice dream. G'night Al…"

"Winry…if I was Al…would I do this?" he yanked back the blankets and kissed her.

Winry shot awake with a loud _eep, "_Ack! Ed? Wha--?"

"Wake up. Breakfast" he smiled and dropped a tray on her lap.

She blushed and nodded, "Ah…thank you…"

"I made it all by myself!" Ed grinned childishly, "And I didn't break anything or burn anything this time!"

"Good!" she laughed and patted his head before taking a bite of a fluffy waffle topped with strawberries, "This is really delicious, Ed!"

"Really? Great!" His cheeks pinkened and he grinned even wider. Edward sat down on the other side of the bed, "We have a party to go to today."

"We do?"

"Yeah, it's Elysia's birthday" he groaned, "Should be _lots_ of fun"

"Aww, really? I haven't seen her in a long time!"

"I'm sure she misses her big sister" Ed teased.

"I bet Al misses you too…he's doing so well at his practice…" Winry smiled and looked out of the window, "He's such a good doctor."

"Yeah…"

"Well…I'm finished. Guess I'll go get ready for the party!"

"Okay. Meet you downstairs in ten?"

"See you then!" she winked and sat up, watching Edward as he walked down the stairs. He seemed almost…nervous…

With that thought to ponder, Winry stepped into the warm steam of her shower, letting the beads of water wash away any doubts.

**0000000**

The party came…and kept coming…until it was late at night, and the children had all gone home, leaving only the adults at the table. Roy as well as his "posse" were playing poker, Ed included. Winry sighed and leaned against the wall, her head racing with thoughts. Today hadn't seemed any different then any other day…why was Edward so excited about it?

"Something bothering you, Winry?" A beautiful woman with amber colored eyes came into her line of vision, a concerned look crossing her elegant features.

"Oh! Miss Riza!" the simple statement snapped her train of thought and she nodded, "Yeah…just thinking"

"It's a shame those boys won't stop playing poker long enough to be with their dates, huh?"

"Well, I was playing with them earlier and--hey! Wait a second! How did you know Ed and I were dating?"

Riza smiled, "Anyone with a well trained pair of eyes could see it. The way he looks at you, with so much pride and happiness in his eyes, is enough."

She blushed, "Oh…well…he said something special was going to happen today…I don't know what though. Maybe he was just talking about the party"

One honey colored eyebrow arched into the air, "…so that's what he said, huh? Interesting…I'm sure he has something else planned. You know him better than I do. And we both know that--"

"Edward Elric always has something up his sleeve" Winry chimed in, their voices in perfect harmony. She grinned at Riza, "Like those cards, eh?"

Sure enough, a small amount of cards came streaming from his left sleeve. Roy shouted a curse and jumped up. Riza sighed loudly, "Guess that's my cue. See you."

"Ah! Y-yes!"

"Oh…and Winry?" she turned on her heel and looked over her shoulder, "Ed really has loved you for a long time. In fact…I've known about it for a few years now. He blushed like a fool and tried to deny it, but it was pretty obvious from the start"

With that, the older blonde walked away. Winry stood stunned, blinking in shock.

Suddenly she felt two hands on her hips, one hot and one cold, "Come on. I want to show you something."

Winry looked up at Edward, "Okay."

He grinned and blushed before grabbing her hand and leading her outside. It was snowing softly, and a warm fire was flickering in an outdoor fireplace, leading to an ambient and romantic atmosphere, "Just a little more…"

"Wow…just…wow…" she stared bug-eyed at the surroundings, trying to drink it all in at once.

Ed stopped suddenly and pointed above them. They were standing underneath a large arch dusted with snow. At the top was a single stem of mistletoe, tied up by a beautiful red ribbon, "Look. Mistletoe"

Winry smiled, before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. Her thoughts scattered at the mind bending sensation she got every time they kissed. Riza was right. Even she could feel the static when he was nearby, that same beautiful mess that made every nerve of her body go absolutely insane with want, with need, with love. Who was she kidding anyway? Edward was the man she wanted to spend her life with.

She broke off with a soft sigh, practically pulsating with joy. Ed waited, holding her closely and just enjoying this rare private moment. After what seemed like an eternity, he grinned that heart stopping smile and reached above her head, pulling the mistletoe down, "For you"

Winry blushed and took it, but something sparkling caught her eye, "Edward…?"

"I wonder what that is?" he smiled mischievously.

Filled with curiosity, she carefully picked through the white berries until she pulled it out, "Oh…oh my…"

He took the object from her and got down on one knee, "…Winry Rockbell…"

Winry took in a deep shuddering breath, her heart beating a drum in her chest, "Ed…oh…"

"…would you do me the honor…of letting me take your hand in marriage?"

She stood, completely floored. Ed went to all this trouble, just to ask her, to make sure it was the proposal in her dreams. Winry threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, causing them to fall into the soft snow. She kissed his cheek and the thin trail of a tear went down her cheek. "Of course of course, of course!"

"I'll t-take that as a yes then…" he mumbled, still a bit dazed. Ed looked at her face and saw her crying, "Oh, Winry, why are you crying?"

"Not sad crying…tears of joy…" she smiled. Suddenly the sound of applause came from behind them. Al, Roy, and Riza were standing there, all wearing matching grins. Winry stood up quickly and started to brush the snow from her dress.

Ed stood up too and held out his warm red jacket to her, "Here you go. What were you thinking, wearing a strapless dress in the snow?"

"Shut up." She punched his shoulder and Ed winced, "Let's go inside, I'm really cold."

"Fair enough." He shrugged and put his human arm around her shoulders, "Is that warmer?"

"No…but it's very sweet of you to do so." She smiled and put her head on his shoulder. But then, as they passed Al, Winry could have sworn she heard him say,

"_So glad you took my advice, nii-san"_

**END**

**This is part TWO in a three part series! Part Three will be out soon! **


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